Calgary Flames
Rink: Scotiabank Saddledome
Capacity: 19,289
Built: 1983
League: NHL
City: Calgary, Alberta
Home Of: Calgary Flames
Games Attended: 1
Only NHL Game: February 6, 2025 vs Colorado
Unique Arena: #64
NHL Arena: #16
The iconic Saddledome sits just on the edge of downtown Calgary, on the stampede grounds with a new massive convention centre next door. There is also a giant hole in the ground one block away that is set to be home to the Flames’ new arena come the fall of 2027. With that in mind, I knew this would very likely be my only chance to see the Flames at their longtime home and I was excited to do so even though I had already been to a WHL Hitmen game here two years prior. The Saddledome is a circular building with all public entrances about a third of the way up the exterior, which requires a big flight of stairs to get to. But once inside the doors you’re spilled into the main concourse level which is the concourse for about 80% of the building. It’s set up in the old coliseum style, but has some differences thanks to the building’s very odd shape and design.
The lower bowl in Calgary is easily the smallest in the NHL. The bowl on three sides is even smaller than some CHL clone buildings, though it opens up a bit higher in one end. The second deck of seats is much much larger and if you’re lucky enough to have a seat in the first few rows it gives you a spectacular view of the ice, high and close. At the top of this second deck there are suites running down the sides of the building. It’s hard to tell from photos, but believe it or not above those suites on the sides there is a third deck of seats that extends all the way up to the roof line of the building again thanks to its saddle/Pringles chip shape. The seats in the third deck however have mostly obstructed views, as they are behind and higher up than the press boxes which hang in front of them. The back row does have a full view of the ice surface itself, but you won’t be able to see beyond the first couple rows of seats on the far side of the ice. The ends of the building have no third deck and actually have far fewer rows than the side seats in the second deck. These end seats also have their own separate mini concourse.
Another odd quirk of the Saddledome is that the club seats in the lower bowl are laid out in a J shape, with handrails separating them from the rest of the bowl, which is weird to see directly behind one of the nets. These seats also have their own separate concourse below the main one which can only be accessed with club seat tickets. The building had a new video scoreboard installed during the summer of 2024, which I found to be an odd choice with the new building set to open in the fall of 2027. Part of me thinks perhaps this board will make the move with the team, but it’s actually on the smaller side in the modern-day NHL so I am not so sure. While I rarely review concession stand details it is worth noting that in Calgary the doors open 90 minutes prior to puck drop, and that first hour that the doors are open most of the concessions are half price for happy hour. Getting two hot dogs and a drink for $10 at an NHL arena is damn near unheard of these days, and I was thankful for it as we had no time to stop for dinner between our flight landing and game time.
The atmosphere in Calgary (on the night I was there) was decent enough. Not dead like in Toronto and Ottawa but not quite on the level of Montreal and Vancouver either. I found the A/V production pretty decent, and the addition of the flamethrowers in the rafters is a nice touch. Calgary as of early 2025 has the second-oldest building in the NHL with only MSG being older. But MSG has had so many renos over the years that Calgary has almost become the de facto oldest rink, as MSG isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. There is no other building in like the Saddledome and it’s a unique experience in the days of most arenas becoming the same place over and over. It’s a shame to see its time is almost up, as once the Flames move to their new rink in 2027 the Saddledome has a date with the wrecking ball. That makes me sad. But I will forever be grateful that I got to a game here, unlike many other older NHL barns I missed out on over the years.
